Walkabout
1971 Directed by Nicolas Roeg
Synopsis
A boy and girl face the challenge of the world's last frontier
A teenage girl and her young brother are stranded in the Australian outback and are forced to cope on their own. They meet an Aborigine on "walkabout": a ritualistic banishment from his tribe
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Nicolas Roeg is fast becoming one of my favorite directors. Granted, I've only digested three of his films so far, and I understand that his quality declines quite drastically later in his career (otherwise, I would have expected him to be one of the all-time greats instead of just respected yet rarely talked about), but he has yet to take a misstep in my book. Not only are the films of his I've watched commendable, they are truly excellent. From his mastery of the thriller/horror in Don't Look Now to the daring experimental sci-fi of The Man Who Fell To Earth, I've now been lucky enough to catch the beautiful, perhaps even 'Malickian' nature odyssey of Walkabout.
Walkabout, above all,…
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It's been a day and a half since watching Walkabout. Normally I come and write my thoughts down right away, but this one has given me fits with how to express them.
A brother and sister, stranded and left in the outback, try and survive after running into an aborigine during his 'walkabout' - where on his 16th birthday he must go and live in the wildnerness surviving off the natural means of the earth. It's a very simple tale yet shown to us so poetically that it begs you to reflect on your own life.
Director Nicholas Roeg shows us what surviving in the wilderness of the Australian outback can feel like, and in such a natural beautiful way.…
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From the get-go a father attempts to murder his own son and daughter and then kills himself, leaving the kids to fend for themselves in the Australian outback, along their journey they meet a 'walkabout'.
I've never been a fan of Australian cinema, which has always made me feel dirty for being an Australian. The scenery in this film really makes me appreciate that I live here alot more than I did. I had no idea what a walkabout was either. Now, I can rest assured that there is actually some top notch Aussie flicks out there and I will now make an effort to track them down.
This film is number 10 on my Criterion Challenge -
''Please try. It's silly to give in now. It can't be much further.''
1971 was seminal year for Australia films, seeing the release of two of the country's finest productions, including Ted Kotcheff's masterfully horrifying 'Wake In Fright' and this film, Nicolas Roeg's coming of age story told through the Australian outback, 'Walkabout'
Two British children, A teenage girl and young boy, are almost murdered by their father, who ultimately kills himself, leaving his two children stranded in the Australian outback, they attempt to survive on their own until they encounter a young Aboriginal boy, who is on a ritualistic ''Walkabout''.
I don't think the Australian outback has really ever been as portrayed as beautifully, mysterious or awe inspiring as…
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More than decent film from Nicolas Roeg about two children lost in the wilderness who encounter a lone Aboriginal boy. A powerful film about people unable to communicate or comprehend each other but still working together in the nightmarish Australian desert. Has moments of questionable intent and is not perfect, but certainly worth seeing.
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Wow, what a film. I finished three cups of coffee and a bowl of cereal while being entirely invigorated by what was on screen throughout "Walkabout". It's hard to describe the many different emotions Nicholas Roeg's haunting and gorgeously photographed film evokes out of its viewer, but it certainly put me through a wringer of the best kind.
On paper the movie can be summed up in about one or two sentences, but there is so much more beneath the surface to be experienced here. A disturbed father drives his teenage daughter and young son out into the middle of the Australian outback, and as the children are setting up a picnic on the desert floor, the father begins to…
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Film 4 of Kyle's Travel through 30 Countries in 30 Days
Country: Australia
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I'm fairly certain this is my first Nicholas Roeg film, and it was extremely compelling.
The sound design and editing here are what really make the film masterful; as the plot would be entirely straightforward without it.
Two British kids get lost in the Outback, and an Aboriginal boy saves and befriends them. In some ways that IS the plot. Although there are details there that I don't need to go into if you haven't seen it.
But with the sounds and imagery of civilization constantly clanging and clashing with the natural ebbs and flows of the wilderness and the native civilization, your nerves are jangled and you are forced to think about what we've lost in the process of modernization.
I've always known about this film... had always heard it was a masterpiece of Australian filmmaking. But I'm so glad to have finally seen it for myself. There's truly not much else like it out there.
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Nicolas Roeg’s Walkabout, about two children stranded in the Australian outback who meet an aboriginal boy on his spiritual coming of age journey, is an odd, remarkable film. It has an almost hallucinogenic quality, with its peculiar music and hypnotic, colourful cinematography, and the constant cutting from character to environment, setting shots of outback scenery and wildlife (snakes, birds, wombats etc) against the characters.
Not a great deal happens, but it is a oddly compelling film, led by some truly fantastic cinematography, which displays and explores an environment better than any other film i can think of.
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I'm not sure what it is, but I am becoming more and more drawn to films set in Australia. Much like Herzog's portrayals of the Amazon jungle, it seems to be a perfect setting to juxtapose nature and mankind, a landscape that takes on its own personality and overbearing presence. Every film I've seen recently that is set in Australia has been quite powerful.
I slept on this before I wrote about it, because there is so much going on here. A lot of the metaphors and techniques are heavy-handed and almost cheesy. It doesn't say anything that a person living in 2013 would find particularly shocking or original - white people are assholes and civilization is a double-edged sword…
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Modern day Night of the Hunter. Children on a journey through nature escaping a father. Larger than life animals.
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I'm a sucker for beautiful-looking films. Visually, I'd say it's Roeg's best.
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Two white children from the city become stranded in the Australian outback. With the help of an aborigine boy, they struggle to find their way back to civilization. The film makes a statement about how because of industrialization we have lost our touch with nature. A true cinematic gem.
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Nicolas Roeg is fast becoming one of my favorite directors. Granted, I've only digested three of his films so far, and I understand that his quality declines quite drastically later in his career (otherwise, I would have expected him to be one of the all-time greats instead of just respected yet rarely talked about), but he has yet to take a misstep in my book. Not only are the films of his I've watched commendable, they are truly excellent. From his mastery of the thriller/horror in Don't Look Now to the daring experimental sci-fi of The Man Who Fell To Earth, I've now been lucky enough to catch the beautiful, perhaps even 'Malickian' nature odyssey of Walkabout.
Walkabout, above all,…
-
It's been a day and a half since watching Walkabout. Normally I come and write my thoughts down right away, but this one has given me fits with how to express them.
A brother and sister, stranded and left in the outback, try and survive after running into an aborigine during his 'walkabout' - where on his 16th birthday he must go and live in the wildnerness surviving off the natural means of the earth. It's a very simple tale yet shown to us so poetically that it begs you to reflect on your own life.
Director Nicholas Roeg shows us what surviving in the wilderness of the Australian outback can feel like, and in such a natural beautiful way.…